Eddie Carmel

Eddie Carmel (March 16, 1936 – August 14, 1972) was a well-known person who suffered of acromegaly, a disorder of the pituitary gland, caused in his case by a tumor, which if left untreated causes uncontrolled growth. Popularly known as "The Jewish Giant", Carmel was billed at the height of 8 ft 9 in (268 cm) tall, though he may have more realistically been around 7 ft 6 ¾ in tall. At the time of his death at age 36, he had shrunk 6 ¾ inches, due to kyphoscoliosis (curvature of the spine, a mixture of scoliosis, and kyphosis, meaning hunchback).

Carmel was born in Tel Aviv, Palestine (now Israel) to Jewish immigrants Itzack and Miriam Carmel. He moved to the Bronx with his parents when he was a child. He was made famous by photographer Diane Arbus' picture "Jewish Giant, taken at Home with His Parents in the Bronx, NY, 1970" (see illustration).

Due to his condition, his primary work was in carnival sideshows including appearances at Hubert's Museum in Times Square and a few films such as "50,000 B.C. (Before Clothing)" (1963), and "The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962)."

External links

* [http://www.soundportraits.org/on-air/the_jewish_giant/ The Jewish Giant] A radio segment presented by SoundPortraits.org
* [http://www.npr.org/about/press/990916.giant.html/ NPR] A National Public Radio press release about the segment just cited.
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0138350/ Eddie Carmel] Carmel's entry in the Internet Movie Database.